


The Sound of Silence

by rudennotgingr



Series: A Song for Ten [1]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-03
Updated: 2014-05-02
Packaged: 2018-01-14 11:00:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1263853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rudennotgingr/pseuds/rudennotgingr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the Time War, the Doctor runs, at first from himself and then...towards danger. He is now the sole keeper of time, he must preserve it by any means necessary. Never staying in one place, he finds himself stepping out onto the red planet of Mars and stumbling across a group of humans. The crew of Bowie Base One, and it's volcano day. A sort of rewrite of Season 4.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Time Lord Victorious

**Author's Note:**

> I got the idea from a post I had seen on tumblr, and the op (whatswrongwithblue) was gracious enough to let me take it and run. Beta'd by the wonderful gallifreyslostson, who is actually the one who pushed me to write this. The violence isn't graphic, but I do talk about two people dying, so better safe than sorry.

He jerked awake, gasping for air as a harsh cry ripped from his throat. His jumper was damp from sweat and clung to his chest and between his shoulder blades. His leather jacket felt heavy and unnatural on his shoulders. His intense blue eyes blinked rapidly, adjusting slower than normal to the orange glow surrounding him.

For a moment he forgot where he was. He panicked, thinking he was reliving it over again, his consciousness not yet free from the throes of his nightmare. Flames of war destroyed everything in their wake. Everything except him. No matter how hot he burned, no matter how much pain he was in...he remained while everything around him turned to ash. He was left alone, to suffer eternally in darkness. He shook his head, trying to clear the image.

A green light pulsed at the edge of his vision. The time rotor. He looked carefully around the room, taking in the towering coral struts interspersed around the metal grating beneath his boot clad feet. Hexagons containing white circles of light glowed faintly, lining the walls from top to bottom. New console room. Right. He must have fallen asleep on the jump seat. It had really only been a matter of time before sleep pulled him under. He had been avoiding it for months, always finding something to distract himself, some way to push himself further. His waking dreams haunted him enough already. He wasn’t anxious to return to the dreams he had in his sleep. No, not dreams. Nightmares.

The emptiness he felt in his head while awake was unnatural and bothersome, a slow never ending torture. But it was nothing compared to the screams he heard in his sleep. Loud, piercing cries of pain that echoed in his soul, tearing him apart. He preferred the quiet, the silence in his head that reminded him he was alone. The last of his kind in all the universe. The TARDIS did her best to fill his head with sound, with simply the sensation of another presence. He was thankful...but it wasn’t the same.

He hopped up, feeling suddenly claustrophobic, the orange glow reminding him too much of home, of what he had lost. Of what he had done. He needed to get out, go anywhere, he didn't care. Just out of this bloody TARDIS. Crossing over to the console with one long stride, he mashed the randomizer and sent the time ship swirling through the vortex to her next destination.

.....

The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS, his orange space suit standing out against the dark blue wood. He hesitated, taking a deep breath, before setting his foot down on the surface of the red planet. Mars. He had landed on Mars, just a planet away from where he had spent a fair amount of time in his past regenerations. He was thankful to be here instead of Earth. The blue planet teeming with silly apes bustling to and fro, often too loud and too selfish for their own good. They weren't all like that of course. But as a race they still had a long ways to go. At least in the time periods he had landed in.

He began to walk the vast open planet, no signs of life for miles and miles. Mars was much better for his current state of mind. It had been his only state of mind really for some time, since...since the Moment. At first, he had made the TARDIS avoid any location with intelligent life, afraid that his hands were now too tainted, too covered in the blood of millions...billions of innocent life. An overwhelming feeling of dread and anxiety had ripped through him whenever his time ship had come anywhere near civilization. The first handful of times that coming in contact with other races couldn't be avoided, he simply didn't help. He had been certain any help he tried to provide would only end badly, with more lives lost. The moment trouble arrived, he had ducked his head and ran back to the security of the time vortex. He tried not to think on the results of those actions, telling himself they were better off without his help.

That didn't last long. He had survived the Time War. He alone came out relatively unscathed. He had a new face, but the memories of his actions were etched deep into his mind. This body was not meant to sit still and watch. It drove him mad, standing on the sidelines while the universe churned on without him. He may be the last, but he was still a Time Lord. The universe was his to roam, his to help shape...his to control. He changed time when it was in flux, picking the outcome he deemed best. He punished those that sought to alter those points that remained fixed. The laws of time were his alone to protect, to preserve. He rushed headlong into the fray, doling out consequences as he saw fit. Whenever his guilt threatened to resurface, he either wandered alone, long enough to squash it...or, more often than not, he went looking for trouble. 

He pushed the thoughts of war and death to a far corner of his mind, focusing instead on navigating across the uneven terrain, red dust stirring in his wake. Coming to the top of a rise, he looked out across the barren landscape.

A lone structure sat gleaming in the distance. Humans. He grinned to himself, anticipation beginning to buzz in his veins. Where there were humans, there was bound to be trouble.

Fantastic.

.....

It wasn’t until later, surrounded by the base’s crew and introductions exchanged, that realization hit him like a ton of bricks. He had thought it was the guns that had been pointed at him that were making him prickly, setting him on edge. Humans and guns had a tendency to _not_ mix well. One wrong move and they snapped, taking down everything in their path with a blaze of bullets, only thinking of other ways to approach the situation after they ran out of ammo. After the damage had already been done.

But it wasn't the guns, it wasn't the suspicious glances or harsh tones. It was the place, the people themselves. Flashes of what was to come numbed his agitation as his brain made the connection, tiny intricate patterns weaving together to make one large unavoidable outcome. This was Bowie Base One. November 21, 2059.

They were all going to die.

A low growl rumbled through the room’s speaker, setting fated events into motion. The puzzled crew gathered around the computer. They had expected a female’s voice, a familiar voice. The Doctor hung back, his gaze lingering sadly on each precious life that would soon be snuffed out. He should leave. He really should leave.

The internal cameras cut out. From the external feed they could see the lights in the bio dome shutting out, one by one.

No one knew exactly what had happened to the crew on Bowie Base One. It was known to be a nuclear blast, but never determined why. As much as he loved getting into the middle of things, for this, he wasn't going to stick around and find out. This was a fixed point in time. This had to happen. There was nothing he could do.

"Right," he said with a nod. "I'll just be on my way." Adelaide was keeping her cool, but he could see the panic beginning to creep into her crew. It wouldn't take long for it to fully set in. He hoped to be long gone at that point.

"I'm going over." Adelaide told her second in command then stood up straight to look at him over the bank of monitors. "Doctor, with me."

He walked towards her, long strides quickly closing the distance. "I need--" 

"Take his spacesuit, lock it up," she barked at Steffi, as she came to stand directly in front of him. Her eyes flashed at him, clearly not intimidated. "This started as soon as you arrived, so you're not going anywhere except with me."

Exasperated, he had no choice but to follow.

.....

It didn’t take long to find out that Maggie and the two other crew members were infected. Deep cracks crisscrossed over the bottom half of their face and water trickled from their mouths and flowed from their hands. Whatever had affected them, they were no longer human. Pieces of a puzzle were starting to fall into place. An understanding of why none of the crew survived was beginning to bubble to the surface. If they were all infected, visible symptoms or no, they wouldn’t be able to leave. They couldn’t bring the infection back to Earth.

He was there to make sure they didn’t.

The Doctor followed Adelaide to the underground ice field. She had ordered the rest of the crew to prepare for evacuation while she checked the records, needing to pinpoint the date the infection got through. He had to admire her, she hadn’t given up hope yet.

He walked along the metal railing, blocking off the fall to the ice sheet below. His mind drifted to the ancient Martians, the Ice Warriors. Perhaps they had stumbled across this same phenomenon long ago...and froze it in the ice, attempting to hide it away from the universe. 

"You don't look like a coward, but all you've wanted to do is leave." Adelaide didn't look up from the screen she was using. She spoke quietly, giving him a sidelong glance. "You know so much about us."

"I do my research," he replied simply, walking around to the terminal on her other side.

"It's like you know more." Adelaide turned to look at him then, awaiting an answer.

An answer he would not give. Letting her know the inevitable outcome of today, would only introduce unnecessary risk. If she fought back, defied her fate, he would have no choice but to stop her. There was no joy in sentencing someone to death by not helping, but this moment had to happen. It was the first stepping stone for true space exploration by the human race. They would expand and spread out amongst the stars. And it all started with Adelaide Brooke.

Ignoring her question, he looked at her and asked one of his own. "Why space? Why Mars?"

"It started about 50 years ago, when I was a little girl." She looked at a point just above his shoulder, remembering. "The Earth moved--"

"It did what?" He stared at her intently. Something tickled at the back of his mind, he had missed something. A very large something.

"I suppose it was a bit before your time," she furrowed her brow, "But surely your parents told you the stories?"

More like a bit too late...or a time too many. "Refresh my memory."

"The entire planet moved. We looked up. The sky had changed. Everyone was running and screaming. And my father took hold of me." She looked away again, reliving the moment in her mind. The moment that shaped and guided her entire life. "He took me upstairs, told me to stay put. I never saw him again. Nor my mother. They were never found. But out on the streets, there was panic and burning. I went to the window, and there, in the sky, I saw it, Doctor. And it saw me. It stared at me. It looked right into me. And then it simply went away. I knew, that night, I knew I would follow it."

"But not for revenge." There were several things he needed to know, so many details about what happened that needed to be brought to light. But in that moment, listening to Adelaide recount that pivotal point in her life, with soft words and a burning passion in her eyes, he was in awe. This was what he loved about humans, their potential for good and for greatness.

"What would be the point of that?" Adelaide gave him a gentle smile.

"Fantastic. Adelaide Brooke, the woman with starlight in her soul." The Doctor grinned back, truly enjoying this woman's company in what were to be some of her last moments. Then his demeanor shifted, his eyes narrowing. The Earth moving, and the circumstances around it, may have pushed her to touch the stars. But as far as he could tell, someone had put the Earth back. "So what was it? What did you see?"

Before she could answer, the maintenance log popped up on the screen. She turned to look. "Andy Stone. He logged on yesterday."

An identification appeared before being replaced with Andy's video report. "Maintenance log, twenty one twenty, November 2059." Andy rambled off his report then held up a white circle for the camera to see. "Number three water filter's bust. And guess what? The spares they sent don't fit. What a surprise. Over and out." He leaned forward and pressed something off camera. The screen went black.

"A filter!" The Doctor exclaimed. "One tiny little filter and then the Flood."

"But that means the infection arrived today, and the water's only cycled out of the biodome after a week. The rest of us can't be infected. We can leave." Hope had returned to Adelaide's eyes. She spun away from him, walking toward the exit and speaking into her handheld com device. "Ed, we're clean."

.....

Then he was back in his orange space suit, stuck in the airlock and at the mercy of Captain Adelaide. He had tried not to let on that he knew the outcome of their escape attempt. Even as the infected came closer, working their way through barrier after barrier, he tried to remain neutral, indifferent. Adelaide was smart. She had caught on, she knew he had been withholding some important information and she demanded to know what it was.

The Doctor moved fully into view of the screen and took a deep, shaky breath. It was too late for her, too late for her crew. The least he could do was offer some bit of consolation, that her death wouldn't be in vain. "You're taking Action One. There are four more standard action procedures. Most importantly, Action Five."

"Detonation." Adelaide's voice came out in barely a whisper, a sense of horror tainting the edges.

"The final option,” he said. “The nuclear device at the heart of the Central Dome. And on this day, for reasons no one will ever know, Captain Adelaide Brooke detonates that device. But you know, you’re saving the Earth. And by doing that...you do something fantastic. You inspire your granddaughter. She flies out there, bringing the whole human race with her…” He trailed off, a slight smile and a faraway look in his eyes. “Like she's trying to meet you." The smile faded as he refocused on the screen. “But it starts today. It has to start today. I can’t stop it.”

"Can’t?" she asked in a challenging voice, staring him down over the video feed. “Or won’t?”

"Both,” he said with a hard look. “I’m sorry, Adelaide. Your death creates the future. It has to happen.”

"But you know all this,” she said, a hint of desperation entering her voice. “Why can't you find a way? You could tell me...I don’t know...show me…”

"No,” he said, growing cold in his attempt to remain neutral, even while the guilt clawed at him. He gave one curt shake of his head. “No, I can’t. Not this time. There’s these moments...these tiny slivers of time, and even I can’t change them. They’re fixed forever. What happens here...it has to happen. Your death is fixed.”

"You'll die here too," she threatened.

"I don’t think I will,” he said. “And d’you know why?”

"Why?"

"Because you’re better than me,” he said honestly. “And you’ll keep trying to save everyone you can...even me.” He watched her on the screen as she internally debated what course of action to take. The harsh lines on her face softened as she reached her decision. She was going to let him go, just as he knew she would.

"I followed it to the stars. I followed a Dalek to my death." She spoke so quietly, he had almost missed it. Almost missed the single word that was shattering the world around him.

There was a slight pause from her. He felt like he was being torn in two. How? He had destroyed them, burned them just like his own people. It wasn't possible.

"Damn you," Adelaide spat. She released the airlock and the sound of pouring water in the background filled his ears before she cut off the communication and returned to her crew.

The Doctor stepped numbly out of the airlock. One word ringing in his head. One word twisting his insides and making his head swim. His feet carried his body forward, moving of their own accord. Adelaide had seen a Dalek as a child. She had followed it into space, not to kill it, not to find it, but to just...go. She was a much better person than he was, than he would likely ever be.

He would have hunted it down, made it pay for destroying his family. And in a lot of ways, that's what he had done. Oh, there were loads of other reasons why he had committed the act that would forever stain his soul black. But he would never follow a Dalek just for the sake of exploration.

Adelaide Brooke was paving the way for the rest of her species. She had stared down the most loathsome being in the universe and survived. She had followed it to the stars with nothing but the purest of intentions...and now she was going to die. It had still managed to kill her.

An explosion from behind sent him flying forward, landing on his face in the red soil. The blast ignited a fire within him. This wasn't right. They had done nothing wrong, merely been in the wrong place at the wrong time. After too much running, too much time completely alone with his thoughts, with his nightmares, one thing suddenly became abundantly clear.

He was the winner.

He had thought he had survived the war because of some cowardly action on his part. He was wrong. He didn't survive out of cowardice. He survived out of cunning, out of making the tough choices...out of sheer will. Not necessarily the will to live, but the will to make sure justice won. Coming out alive was merely a bonus. Mercy was a word long forgotten, another myth lost with the destruction of his people. A destruction brought about by his hand. If the great Time Lords and the war-crazed Daleks weren’t a match for him, then nothing was.

Fixed points be damned, he was going to save them.

.....

So he went back, fighting against time itself as all hell broke loose around him. The crew members that had been infected were still trying to break in. The Doctor sent electricity flowing through what used to be Andy Stone, causing the thing to violently convulse before dropping to the floor. One down.

"Water and electricity, bad mix. Now," he looked around the room, "What else have we got?"

"But there's no way to fight them!" Adelaide cried, stumbling as another tremor rocked the base.

"Heat!" He exclaimed, snapping his fingers. A crazed grin spread over his face and he darted around the terminals, pressing the correct combination of keys before moving on to the next. "They use water, so we can use heat. Ramp up the environment controls and steam them."

"But you said we die. For the future, for the human race." Adelaide followed him, a desperate edge in her voice.

She was wrong. No one else would die today. Not if he had anything to say about it. He whirled on her, the fury of the Oncoming Storm brewing in his piercing blue eyes.

"Yes, because there are laws, Laws of Time. Once upon a time there were people in charge of those laws, but they died. They all died. Do you know who that leaves? Me! It's taken me all this time to realise the Laws of Time are mine, and they will obey me!"

.....

It wasn’t long afterwards when the Doctor stepped out into the dark, snow covered street. His smile burned brighter than all the street lamps twinkling along the empty road in the night. He turned, smirking, as the remaining crew from the former Bowie Base One stumbled out the TARDIS doors after him.

He had done it. He had saved three people (and a robot) that weren't meant to be alive. The base had still been destroyed. Adelaide had implemented Action 5, in an effort to thwart him. He had been faster. The TARDIS had whisked them away a second before the explosion. He had done it. A heady rush of power still flowed through his veins. Time would bow to his every will, his every command. Fixed points and other laws no longer pertained to him.

"Don't I get any thanks?" The Doctor asked smugly, crossing his arms and looking from one person to the next.

The robot came to a jerky stop, the blue light starting to flicker and fade. "Gadget gadget." With a soft pop and one last shudder, his light blinked out.

"He's lost his signal,” he said, eyeing the lifeless scrap of metal. “Doesn't know where he is."

"That's my house,” Adelaide said in disbelief.

"This is the twenty first of November 2059. It's the same day...on Earth.” The Doctor paused, looking up into the sky. “And it's snowing."

"What is that thing?" Mia looked anxiously at the TARDIS, one hand coming up to cover her face. "It's bigger. I mean, it's bigger on the inside. Who the hell are you?" She cried, looking at him with terror filled eyes, before turning to run off down the street.

Adelaide glanced at Yuri and jerked her head in the direction Mia had fled. "Look after her."

"Yes, ma'am," Yuri said with a curt nod. He jogged down the otherwise empty street, calling for Mia to wait.

"You saved us." Adelaide eyed him warily, keeping a bit of distance between them.

"Yup," he said, widening his stance, the smug grin still firmly in place.

"But I'm supposed to be dead."

"Not any more." His eyes darkened, the corners of his lips dropping. He had just saved her life. She could see her family again. Was she really going to argue?

"But Susie, my granddaughter,” she shouted in frustration. “The person she's supposed to become might never exist now."

"You can inspire her face to face." He shrugged. "Different details, but the story's the same."

"You can't know that." She threw her hands up in frustration, still daring to confront him. "And if my family changes, the whole of history could change. The future of the human race. No-one should have that much power."

"Tough,” he said tersely, his face sliding back into a neutral mask, hiding the anger bubbling just below the surface.

"You should have left us there,” said Adelaide, with a small shake of her head.

"Adelaide, I've done this sort of thing before,” he said, shrugging again. “In small ways, saved some little people, but never someone as important as you."

"Little people?” she scoffed. “What, like Mia and Yuri? Who decides they're so unimportant? You?"

The Doctor looked at her, ice blue eyes steady. "For a long time now, I thought I was just a survivor, but I'm not. I'm the winner. That's who I am. The Time Lord Victorious."

"And there's no one to stop you."

"No."

"This is wrong, Doctor,” she said, angry tears in her eyes. “I don't care who you are. The Time Lord Victorious is wrong. I think that Dalek left me alive because it knew. It knew I was always meant to die today."

"That's for me to decide. Not some stinking Dalek," he spat with a darkness swirling in his pupils, causing the ice blue of his irises to violently stand out, daring her to argue some more. His lips curled up in a sneer. A Dalek was nothing to a Time Lord. Even less to the very last of them. Adelaide stared back, her jaw clenching in anger. He smiled, a twisted grin that enhanced the madness dancing in his gaze. "Now, you'd better get home."

Keeping his eyes locked on hers, the Doctor pulled his sonic from a pocket in his leather jacket then pointed it at her front door. With a quick press of a button and a light whir ghosting in the breeze, the door to Adelaide's house unlocked and swung open. She broke eye contact, her gaze darting towards the movement.

"All yours," he said brightly, placing the sonic back in his jacket.

"Is there nothing you can't do?"

"Not any more." His tone and expression were final, he was done arguing. Adelaide may be important, but she was still just a human. He didn’t answer to her. He didn’t answer to anyone.

Adelaide brushed past him, snow stirring in her wake. He watched on with his arms crossed and chin held high. She might be angry now, but in time she would come to see that he had been right. He determined the outcome, the universe would bow to his will. 

She spared a glance over her shoulder before shuffling inside and closing the door. The Doctor took a deep breath, the cold night air filling his lungs. Turning on his heel, he strode back towards the TARDIS. There were things to do. People to save. Empires to destroy.

A gunshot rang out in the clear silence.

The Doctor twisted around, catching the end of a bright flash of light in one of the downstairs windows, the shot reverberating in his ears. His hearts dropped in his chest and his head flashed as the time lines shifted, snapping painfully back into place.

Adelaide Brooke, dies on Earth. Susie Fontana Brooke still goes into space, lifting her grandmother's tarnished legacy back into the light.

The Doctor dropped to his knees and snow seeped through his black trousers. His brain registered the damp, knew it was only water, hydrogen and oxygen...harmless. It felt like blood. More blood of the innocent staining his clothes and his skin. Adelaide's words rang in his ears, replacing the echoing of the shot that took her life.

_"I don't care who you are. The Time Lord Victorious is wrong."_

He'd gone too far. Pushed the limits and thinking he was above it all, only to be brought crashing to his knees. The sense of ultimate control he had felt moments ago fizzled out of existence, guilt and remorse rising up to take its place. He had made a huge mistake. With no one left to hold him in check, his madness had spiraled out of control. Was this to be his fate? The last of the Time Lords, driven insane with self righteousness and too much power, destroying himself.

He would like to think this experience had knocked him down a peg. He knew better. It would only be a matter of time before another similar situation presented itself. Before another moment pushed him back over the edge. That's how it would go from here on out. He was in a battle with time, and eventually time would win.

He pushed himself shakily to his feet and trudged back to the TARDIS. If his life was to end in a fit of madness, he could do one last good thing. He would find that bloody Dalek and wipe it out of existence. If his life was to end in flames, he would burn it with him.


	2. Vanished

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again to the wonderful gallifreyslostson for being Beta Supreme. Also, just to be clear...this story (well, series really) will eventually be Doctor x Rose. There will be no shenanigans or Doctor x Donna shipping in this fic. Brotp only here, thanks.

The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS. He had parked in an alley, next to a shop of some sort. He couldn’t be bothered to find out anymore than that. He had more important things to do. Namely, a Dalek to hunt down.

He walked fully into the street and looked around. Shops lined both sides of the road and people bustled about, not a single one of them noticing the blue police box that had appeared out of nowhere. Typical. The sun was out, hardly a cloud in the sky, and its bright rays stung his eyes, making him squint. Leave it to this bloody rock to seem overly cheerful. With a scowl creasing his face, he swiveled his head around one more time.

Adelaide had said that someone had tried to move the Earth. No, that they had succeeded. But nothing seemed out of place. It was all irritatingly normal. The planet was still in it’s correct place around the sun and there were no Daleks, or any aliens aside from himself, to be seen. He clenched his jaw in frustration. He was _sure_ he had done the calculations correctly. He had expected to find the beginning of a war, not end up on a bleeding holiday.

"Excuse me," he said, gently grabbing the elbow of the first person within reach. "Have you noticed anything odd lately? Anything _alien_?"

The redhead looked from the phone in her hand to his fingers curled around her elbow then slowly lifted her eyes to his. "You mean other than some bloke grabbing at me in the street?" she asked with a raised eyebrow, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "The North isn't so alien that they didn't teach you any manners."

"Sorry," he said, dropping her arm and swallowing the retort that rested on the tip of his tongue. His gut reaction had been to snap back her. It wasn't like he had tried to snatch her and drag her back to the TARDIS. He shuddered, he had a feeling that she would not be someone he would get along with. At all. Still, best not to make a scene. He forced a smile, trying to appear apologetic. "Would you mind answering the question? Seen anything out of place? Heard anything unusual, anything at all?"

Her green eyes narrowed at him before she shrugged her shoulders and crossed her arms. "Um," she paused shaking her head, searching for an answer, "The bees are disappearing."

"The bees?" the Doctor asked incredulously. "I ask you about aliens and oddities and you give me bees. I don't know why I even bother with you stupid apes." He swirled around, heading the short distance back to his time ship. Honestly, what else had he expected from a human. She had been on her mobile to boot. She probably wouldn't have noticed anything alien even if he turned into a Macra at that very moment.

"Oi! What did you just call me?" the woman shouted after him, her voice harsh and biting. He ignored her.

"Looking for Daleks and I get bees," the Doctor muttered as he stalked down the alley.

"What are you doing? Why are you going to that ruddy old police box? Are you some sort of nutter?" The woman continued to bombard him with questions, following him mindlessly a few paces behind, becoming engrossed with an incoming message on her phone.

"No one on this stupid rock pays attention," he said as he slammed the TARDIS doors open and stomped up the ramp to the console, his heavy footfalls ringing in the large room. "They probably wouldn't know a Dalek if the whole fleet dropped out of the sky." 

He heard a gasp and something clatter to the grating. Snapping his head around, he saw the red headed woman from the street standing just inside the entrance.

"How did you get in here?" he barked.

She squeaked and her eyes zipped to his face before drifting to look back around the console room. Her eyes were wide with fear and her mouth hung open in shock. Her purse was still clinging to her shoulder, but her phone had dropped from her slack fingers. He didn't have time for this, not today.

"One more time," he growled and headed towards her. "How did you get in here?"

She blinked rapidly and took a small step back as he stopped just in front of her. "The...doors were open," she whispered, her voice shaking.

"So you thought you would just march on in?" The Doctor stooped to pick up her phone, before glaring at her. "Of course you did. Human."

The woman looked at him in confusion, her earlier bravado vanishing completely.

The TARDIS shook violently, causing both parties to stumble. The Doctor easily adjusted his footing to keep himself upright. The unwelcome passenger bumped into the closed doors, arms flinging out wildly, before regaining her balance and stepping towards him.

"What the hell was that?" she shrieked.

"Nevermind that, it's time for you to leave." He placed the phone in her hand then grabbed her shoulders and spun her around to face the exit. Standing beside her, he pushed her forward with a firm hand on the small of her back. "Now, just forget me and go on home," he said looking down at her with a tight smile as he pulled open the doors.

The woman's eyes grew impossibly larger and her body went rigid, resisting his attempts to shove her out the door. Her constant arguing was grating in his nerves. He had thought she would be ready to leave, jumping at the first opportunity to escape.

"What kind of trick is this?" Her free hand gripped his arm, her fingers digging into the leather of his jacket.

Rolling his eyes at her dramatics, he turned his head and his own eyes widened in surprise. They were in space. All that lay before them was inky black sky, stars shining far in the distance, with a few stray pieces of rock floating nearby. The Earth was gone. 

"But we're in space," he said quietly. His brain raced frantically. He hadn’t touched anything, the TARDIS shouldn't have moved. "How did that happen?

"What do mean, we're in space?" the woman demanded, tearing her eyes away from twinkling stars to watch him intently.

He looked at her, not believing that she could be so thick. The stars were right in front of her. What did she think he meant? He eyed her up and down, a thought occurring to him. The TARDIS had moved right after she had set foot inside. This woman didn't appear to be anything special. Aside from a special pain in his side. "What did you do?" he asked accusingly, pulling his sonic screwdriver from inside his jacket and scanning her.

"Me?" she huffed. "What the hell could I have done? And stop...bleeping me!" she added, batting his hand aside, brandishing her phone like a crude weapon.

"Totally ordinary," he muttered, confused.

"That's not really space, right?" the woman asked, her gaze hesitantly drifting back to the open doors. "This is some sort of prank.”

“Ah, no. It’s real.” The Doctor pried her hand off his jacket and moved to swung the doors shut, then turned back towards the woman. “Don’t go out there. I have something important to do, I don’t have time to deal with you swanning off into outer space.”

The red head choked down a reply and stared at the now closed doors.

The Doctor dashed back up the ramp and over to the monitor to check the scanner readings. There had to be something he missed. None of it made any sense. 

“We haven't moved,” he said, frowning at the screen. “The Tardis is still in the same place, but the Earth has gone. The entire planet. It's gone.”

“What do you mean gone?” The redhead turned to look up the ramp, catching the tail end of his musings as she slipped her phone into her purse.

The Doctor ran the scan again. Maybe it was a mistake. It had to be a mistake. Dread settled in his stomach...what if he was too late?

“Excuse me, but what do you mean gone?” the woman's sharp tone pierced his thoughts, once again grating on his nerve. This is why he travelled alone. Well, one reason why he now travelled alone. People asked too many questions, and it was only a matter of time before someone asked the wrong questions about his past. It was best to be alone.

“I mean it’s not there," he replied gruffly, not looking up from the screen as his fingers flew over the keyboard.

“I’ve had enough of this. Joke’s over now. Who put you up to this? Was it Nerys?" Panic was creeping into her voice, and she was steadily getting louder, something he hadn't thought possible.

“Look," the Doctor snapped, mashing the last key harder than intended and strolling over to the top of the ramp. He stared down at her with hard eyes and crossed his arms. She wanted answers, fine. As long as it got her to shut up. "I can give you two minutes while the scan runs again. But I’m telling you right now, this is not a joke. This is very real. Your planet, it’s gone.”

She had looked like she had wanted to argue, but blinked in confusion at his last statement. “My planet? What do you mean? It’s yours too.”

“No.”

“But you...you look human.”

“You look Time Lord.”

“Time what?”

“One minute," he hedged, not wanting to delve into that just yet. Hopefully not at all with this particular human.

“Fine," she said with a fake smile and slight tilt of her head. She looked around the console room, a bit of fear creeping into her voice. "What...what is this place?”

“It’s my ship, she’s called the TARDIS," the Doctor said with a fond grin. "Stands for time and relative dimension in space.”

“Your ship?”

He arched an eyebrow. “Name gives it away, she travels in time and space.”

“And it’s...it’s bigger on the inside?”

“Yup.”

“Am I dreaming?”

“No.” The console beeped. “Time’s up.” He went back to the monitor. The scans had been correct. The Earth was gone.

“But,” the woman moved slowly up the ramp, coming towards him, “What about the people? They're dead, aren't they? Are they dead?”

“I don't know.” He shook his head slightly, glancing up briefly then returning his gaze to the screen.

“That's my family. My whole world.” Her voice was shaking and he could see tears forming in her eyes.

“There's no readings. Nothing.” Whatever had done this, the technology was severely advanced. His mind worked overtime to try and come up with a solution, finding none. He clenched his jaw, anger rising in his chest. There was someone he could reach out to. Maybe, just maybe, they could shed some light on what was going on. He had avoided them ever since the Time War, always on the move and just barely beyond their reach. But now...he was left with little choice. Adelaide had said the world had moved...but he also knew that someone put it back. He had a sinking feeling that that someone would turn out to be him.

“So what do we do?” the woman pleaded.

The Doctor took a deep breath. “We've got to get help,” he reluctantly admitted.

“From where? The Earth’s gone!” She made no effort to hide her growing frustration, panic still lacing the edges of her voice, as she stared at him expectantly.

"What's your name?" he asked, standing up straight and forcing himself to pretend to be interested. He was going to a place he would rather not go and he had to go there with a someone he wouldn't have chosen under duress. Still, this woman, brash as she maybe, wasn't going anywhere until he sorted Earth. Might as well make the most of it.

"Um," she said, blinking in confusion. "Donna. Donna Noble."

“Nice to meet you, Donna,” he said with a brief smile. “I’m the Doctor, by the way. I'm taking you to the Shadow Proclamation.”

“You’re taking me to the Shadow what?”

“Outer space police.”

“In a phone box?” She looked at him like he had dribbled on his shirt. Not a look he received often.

“Space ship,” he quipped, rolling his eyes. Now was not the moment for lecturing Donna on the workings of the TARDIS. They needed to find the Earth. “Hold on,” he warned, giving her just enough time to grip the console as he flicked a lever, causing the ship to shake as they went flying to their destination.

The Shadow Proclamation was located in a complex built on three linked asteroids, drifting through space. The TARDIS materialized at the edge of a large room, tucked slightly into the beginnings of a corridor, a slight breeze stirring the sterile air. The Doctor whisked away from the monitor, gruffly grabbing Donna’s elbow and dragging her towards the doors. 

“You’re rather handsy for an alien,” Donna protested, whacking him on the arm. “Where do you think you’re taking me?”

He winced and shot her a warning look, then jerked his head towards the exit. "Out."

“Are you some sort of space caveman?" she snarled, yanking her arm out of his grasp. "Only using single syllable words and dragging women about against their will?”

The Doctor whirled on her, eyes flashing dangerously. “Look,” he growled, “You’re planet has gone missing. And right now, I'm the _only_ one that can help. So I suggest you do as I say, and come along.”

Donna narrowed her eyes and clenched her jaw, but didn’t argue. She sighed dramatically and set her purse near the bottom of the ramp. “Alright, space man. Lead the way." She gestured to the doors and rolled her eyes.

He regarded her with a calculating expression then opened the door and stepped into the empty hall. Donna had just exited behind him, pulling the door shut, when an armed platoon came barreling around the corner. Four slabs and a single Judoon officer pointed guns at them, causing them both to raise their arms in the air to indicate surrender. The Doctor watched Donna out of the corner of his eye. He knew the slabs weren’t the reason for her slack jawed expression. To her they would appear to be humans, covered completely in black leather apparel with a tinted helmet to match. The Judoon however...it was like someone shoving a rhinoceros head onto a man’s body.

Donna continued to gape, a small squeak escaping her lips. That’s all he needed, for her to freak out and lose control. Maybe he should have warned her about other possible alien encounters, proper aliens. Then again, maybe she shouldn’t have wandered onto his ship uninvited.

The Judoon jerked his gun towards the Doctor. “Sco bo tro no flo jo ko fo to to.”

“No bo ho sho ko ro to so. Bokodozogobofopojo,” the Doctor responded with ease and an air of authority. 

Donna closed her eyes and shook her head, trying to make sense of it all, as the guards snapped to attention.

“Moho,” the Doctor said. And with that, the guards dropped to the wayside, retreating to the edges of the room. He glance over at Donna, who had finally composed herself, and jerked his head towards the Judoon, indicating they were to follow.

“Was that...a talking rhino?” Donna whispered as they walked further into the room, which was cast in a soft blue light.

“Don’t be daft,” he answered over his shoulder. “That was a Judoon. Totally alien.”

“Oh, well that’s a relief,” she hissed back.

He smiled to himself. She was taking it better than he thought. Perhaps there was hope for her yet.

“Time Lords are the stuff of legend.” A white haired woman began, her black gown fluttering around her feet as she ceased her pacing to approach them from around a large glass table, the center section pushed out of alignment and allowing for a gap. “They belong in the myths and whispers of the Higher Species. We had heard rumors that one had survived. But we did not believe.”

“More to the point,” the Doctor replied, ignoring her. He didn’t come here to be observed and dissected, if he had really had a choice, he wouldn’t have been here at all. “I've got a missing planet.”

“Then you're not as wise as the stories would say,” she said haughtily. She walked backwards, the beads on her black necklace and hair net clinking together as she vibrated with subtle anger. “The picture is far bigger than you imagine. The whole universe is in outrage, Doctor. Twenty four worlds have been taken from the sky.”

“What is she talking about? How would she even know?” Donna asked from just beside him.

“She’s the Architect. If anyone, besides me, would know about missing planets...it would be her,” the Doctor whispered to Donna, a little surprised that curiosity had apparently overcome her attitude from earlier. He brushed this off, though, looking back at the Architect. “Show me,” he commanded and walked over to join her at the computer screen.

“Locations range far and wide,” the Architect said as she pushed a button on the keyboard. “But all disappeared at the exact same moment, leaving no trace.”

He bent down, watching the display intently as planets and their basic information began flashing across it. “Callufrax Minorr. Jahoo. Shallacatop. Woman Wept. Clom. Who'd want Clom?”

“All different sizes. Some populated, some not. But all unconnected.”

“Are you saying someone is just snatching planets out of the sky?” Donna asked from across the room.

“Who is the female?” the Architect asked, not welcoming the interruption.

“Donna,” she snapped back. “I'm a human being. My planet’s been stolen. And you lot are just sitting here, like you’ve got all the bleeding time in the world.”

The Doctor smirked. He couldn’t decide if it was brave for Donna to speak in such a way to the Architect or simple ignorance, but he liked seeing the red-eyed Lady set on edge in either case. He glanced at her, but when she seemed to think better of replying, he returned to frowning down at the display, arms crossed. Something tickled at his brain, a sort of tip of the tongue only tip of a thought, something he was missing, but something he already knew. Missing planets...he suddenly had flashbacks to apparently random incidents, odd moments where a planet was said to have been lost without any logic or reason stated.

"I've been travelling," he said slowly. "These aren't the only planets that have gone missing. Let's see...Zitronovia Six, Telecarva...the moon of Poosh." He counted off the planets on his fingers. "Why aren't they here?"

"Cold cases," the Judoon captain barked, and the Doctor raised his eyebrows at him.

"Those planets have been lost for centuries," the Architect explained.

"That doesn't mean the cases went cold," the Doctor said. "That just means you lack creativity. Planets are being taken out of time as well as space. Let's put this into 3-D.” The Doctor typed hurried commands onto the keyboard. One by one, holograms of the missing planets filled up the empty space in the room. He ran through the list in his head, lastly adding Earth to the rendering. Once the familiar blue planet appeared, the whole display shimmered and shifted, the planets reorganizing themselves.

“What did you do?” the Architect demanded of him.

“Nothing,” he said simply, shrugging his shoulders and moving to stand in the gap between the table. He looked up, admiring the hologram, as the images revolved around him. “The planets rearranged themselves into the optimum pattern. Twenty seven planets in perfect balance.”

“Oi, don't get all spaceman. What does it mean?” Donna snapped with a touch of impatience.

“All those worlds fit together like pieces of an engine. It's like a powerhouse,” the Doctor answered before focusing on some unseen point in the room, thinking hard. It was as if he were trying to complete a puzzle but didn’t know what the original picture was and some of the pieces had gone missing. He muttered to himself, “What for?”

“Who could design such a thing?” The Architect watched the hologram, the blue light dancing over her pale face.

“Someone tried to move the Earth before, long time ago.” Dread curled tighter around his hearts. Memories of the past rose to the surface, awful memories that would unfortunately link Adelaide’s Dalek to the disappearing planets. But that was impossible. His eyes fixed on Earth, part of some giant machine, and he shook his head. “Can't be.”

The Doctor moved back to the computer terminal, the Architect following behind. They talked together in hushed whispers. Even if Donna had been able to hear what they were saying, she doubted she would understand whatever space terminology they were no doubt using. She was surprised enough that they were both speaking English. She would have to ask him about that later, assuming there was a later.

She looked around the room and decided the sleek silver stairs would be as good a place as any to sit for a moment. Lowering herself to the cool metal, she propped her elbows on her knees and began rubbing her temples, her head swimming. Twenty minutes ago, aliens were things in movies and space travel went as far as the moon. Now, she was the only human in the room on a planet, or whatever, who knows how far from home--if home even still existed. She took several deep breaths, trying to bottle the panic bubbling back to the surface.

She wished now that she’d just left the bloody alien alone. It wasn’t fair, the way he walked around looking like any other bloke, then turned out to be from another world, running around the universe in a bloody box. But if she hadn’t gone with him, she would have been lost when the Earth was, with her mum and granddad--

She dropped one hand, pressing her head further into the fingertips of the other. The slight pain gave her something else to focus on other than blokes who weren’t blokes and her lost home and family.

A woman wearing black slacks and a matching high collared coat with shock white hair approached Donna on the stairs. She held out a tray with a bowl containing clear liquid and whispered, “You need sustenance. Take the water, it purifies.”

Donna started, looking up into the woman’s pink eyes. She tried not to stare. “Um, is it...is it safe for humans?”

“Yes,” the woman replied, giving her a reassuring smile.

“Thanks.” Donna took the bowl with slightly shaking hands and took a tentative sip. The water was cool and refreshing, soothing her throat and her nerves as the liquid settled in her stomach.

“You have such a long road,” the woman said, and Donna looked up at her. “But you are so important.”

“Not me,” Donna said with a derisive huff. “Just a temp from Chiswick. Shouldn’t even be here, except my planet had to go missing.”

“But you’ll be the one to bring the music back,” the woman said, her eyes wide and serious. “Help him. You must help him remember who he is...why he survived when all others perished.”

“But I only just met him,” Donna said, frowning in confusion. “How’m I supposed to help him? I don’t even know what any of that means.”

“A song yet to be sung is no less vital,” the woman said cryptically. “Good luck, Donna Noble.” With that, the woman scurried off, leaving Donna feeling slightly unbalanced. She stared down at the mostly empty bowl in her hands, but the Doctor was marching over to her before she had anytime to try to untangle the woman’s words.

“Donna,” he said as he leaned against the glass paneled railing, “Come on, think. Earth. Was anything happening back in your day, like electrical storms, freak weather, patterns in the sky?”

“Well, how should I know?” she snapped at him. It wasn’t fair, pinning the fate of her planet down on her. She was no one important. The Doctor arched an eyebrow but didn’t comment. She sighed heavily, once again rubbing her forehead. “Er, no. I don't...I don’t think so, no.”

“You don’t think so? Or you don’t know so?” he challenged, crossing his arms.

Donna’s eyes flashed and she sat up straighter, anger roaring to life and burning out her earlier anxiety. “All I know is that the bees were disappearing, alright. That might not matter to you, Mister Time Lord, whatever that means, but it’s all I’ve got.”

“The bees disappearing,” he scoffed in mocking tone. “I ask you for freak weather patterns and all you can say is that the bees are disappearing." Then he paused, looking thoughtful for a moment, before grinning widely. "Oh, Donna, that's fantastic!"

“How is that significant?” The Architect looked between him and Donna in confusion.

“On Earth,” Donna explained in a lifeless tone, “We had these insects. Some people said it was pollution or mobile phone signals. But it’s not important.” She furrowed her brow and looked back at the Doctor. He was daft, he was. The bees had nothing to do with the abrupt disappearance of her planet.

“Or,” the Doctor said with a smile, “They were going back home.”

“Back home where?” Donna shouted at him in frustration.

“Planet Melissa Majoria,” he called over his shoulder as he strode back to the computer terminal.

Donna hopped up and ran after him. He had to be joking. She eyed him critically as he worked at the keyboard. Her voice was heavy with sarcasm as she asked, “Are you saying bees are aliens?”

“Don't be so daft,” the Doctor frowned at her. Donna breathed a sigh of relief, but her jaw dropped as he quickly amended himself. “Not all of them. But if the migrant bees felt something coming, some sort of danger, and escaped...Tandocca.”

“The Tandocca Scale,” the Architect breathed from her position on the other side of the Doctor.

“Mind telling me what that is?” Donna asked.

“The Tandocca Scale is a series of wavelengths used as a carrier signals by migrant bees. Infinitely small. No wonder we didn't see it. It's like looking for a speck of cinnamon in the Sahara, but look, there it is. The Tandocca trail. The transmat that moved the planets was using the same wavelength, we can follow the path.”

“And find the Earth?” Donna asked excitedly, hope bubbling in her chest.

“Yup,” The Doctor responded with a smug smile.

“Well, stop talking and do it.”

“I am,” he shot back, looking slightly affronted.

He ran back around the table and over to where the TARDIS was parked. He slammed through the doors and up to the console, Donna hot on his heels. He bent over the keyboard, watching the monitor intently as he input the new information.

“We're a bit late,” he told Donna, who was starting at the screen in confusion. “The signal's scattered, but it's a start.”

He dashed back down the ramp and poked his head out the doors. He didn’t have much time. The Architect was standing just outside, a handful of soldiers flanking her on each side.

“I've got a blip,” he told her. “It's small, but it’s there.”

“Then according to the Strictures of the Shadow Proclamation, I will have to seize your transport and your technology.” The Architect watched him intently, awaiting his reaction.

“What for?”

“The planets were stolen with hostile intent. We are declaring war, Doctor, right across the universe, and you will lead us into battle.” She was gripping her hands tightly and shaking with energy, energy from the misguided notion that she wielded power over all.

“Right,” he said, drawing out the word. Like hell he'd be an active party in another war on behalf of the Architect. They could pry his ship from his cold, dead hands. He forced his face into a neutral mask and nodded. “Yes. Course I will. I'll just go and get you the key.”

He edged slowly back into the TARDIS, closing the door securely before striding back up the ramp.

“Well, are they gonna help?” Donna asked from her place by the console.

“No,” he said, his voice hard. If their only solution was domination, he wanted no part of their plan, and he certainly didn’t need their help.

“No? What do you mean no?”

“They want to wage a war, with me at the front. I’m politely declining.” He flipped a lever and the TARDIS vibrated as they dematerialized from the corridor.

Just outside, the Architect shouted in vain over the breeze kicking up around the vanishing time ship. “Doctor, come back! By the Holy Writ of the Shadow Proclamation, I order you to stop!”

The Doctor and Donna held on to the console as the TARDIS locked onto the signal and began hurtling through space. The time ship shuddered then stopped, just as the time rotor ceased pulsing.

He looked down at the screen, then back up at the time rotor. His face fell and hope drained from his body. “It’s stopped,” he whispered.

“What do you mean?” Donna asked, watching him carefully. “Is that good or bad? Where are we?”

“The Medusa Cascade. I came here when I was just a kid, ninety years old. It was the centre of a rift in time and space.”

“So, where are the twenty seven planets?” she asked, still hopeful. “Are they here?”

“No,” he replied, backing up until he hit one of the coral struts, defeat washing over him. “They’re nowhere. The Tandocca Trail stops dead.”

“So what do we do?” She glanced at the screen, none of it making any sense, then back at him. “Doctor, what do we do? Now don't do this to me.” Her voice broke as she continued to plead with him, getting nothing but stony silence in return. Tears stung her eyes and she shook her head in denial. “No, don't. Don't do this to me. Not now. Tell me, what are we going do? You can’t give up. Please.”

He had failed. Any moment now, he would feel the timelines break. This would be the second time he had failed Adelaide Brooke. Only now, there was no one else here to fix his mistake. And this time...his failure would affect the future of the entire human race.


	3. Shoot to Kill

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again to gallifreyslostson for the awesome beta.

The Doctor leaned against the coral strut, staring blankly at the monitor. He was the Earth’s last chance and he had failed them all. Their entire future would be altered because of him. Without the first steps to Mars by Adelaide Brooke, there was no telling how much longer it would be before they made the jump to travel the stars. Of course, there was every possibility that they would never make it to space in the first place. There was every possibility that everyone on the planet had died. The genocide of another species staining his hands with blood.

The display blurred, blue and white lines vibrating quickly before forming another clear picture. He barely noticed; whatever the TARDIS was doing...it was too late. A small beep sounded from the screen, some unknown signal pulsing with light against the blue backdrop. He willed his eyes to focus. Maybe...It sounded again, louder more insistent. Then again. He pushed away from the support, hunching over the monitor.

“If that’s some sort of alarm signalling the end of the world, it’s a little bit late,” Donna spat from her slumped position on the jump seat. A single tear trickled down her cheek.

“It’s not an alarm,” he replied absently, trying to puzzle out the information. “It’s some sort of signal.”

“From where? Another missing planet? Shall we offer them our condolences?" She shot off question after question in mock seriousness, bitterness tainting her words. "Oh yeah, we can’t. Because they’re bloody gone already.”

“Ray of sunshine you are,” the Doctor said, earning a snort in response as Donna crossed her arms and flopped back against the seat. His eyes narrowed at the screen then widened in surprise. "That’s impossible.”

“What is?” Donna’s head shot up, catching the tiny sliver of hope in his voice.

“The signal...it’s from Earth.”

Donna jumped up and came to stand beside him. “Can we follow it?” she asked timidly, one hand leaning on the console as she searched his face.

“Watch me.” He broke into a large grin and his blue eyes sparkled with excitement as he began flipping levers and twisting knobs. If he could just...lock on, then maybe, just maybe, he could locate Earth. He would worry about who was transmitting the signal if, no when, he found the missing planet.

“Got it,” he shouted triumphantly. “Locking on.”

The TARDIS shook and sparks rained down from the ceiling while flames shot up from beneath the grating. Donna screamed then clutched the edge of the console, holding on until her knuckles turned white. The Doctor laughed loudly and swayed with the motions, stumbling just a bit, as he encouraged the time ship to keep going. The signal was pulling them through.

The Doctor righted himself as the TARDIS came to a shuddering stop. He grinned broadly and slapped the console in glee. “Twenty seven planets, safe and sound.”

“And there’s the Earth,” Donna cried, pointing at the familiar silhouette of her planet on the screen. She looked over to the Doctor. “Where were they?”

“The Medusa Cascade," he stated, eyes tripling checking that all planets were indeed there and in one piece.

“Hang on," she tilted her head, brow furrowing in concentration, "That's where we were. Why couldn’t we see them?”

"The entire Medusa Cascade has been put a second out of sync with the rest of the universe. Perfect hiding place. Tiny little pocket of time. But we found them." He began twisting other knobs, working furiously to allow whoever had sent the signal to be visible on the screen. Static gave way to two people hugging tightly, a teenage boy and a brunette woman in her fifties. His hearts dropped in his chest; he knew that face.

The brunette gasped and surveyed him closely with wide eyes. "Doctor?"

Donna looked between the Doctor and the people on the screen. "You know her?"

"Sarah Jane." The Doctor stared straight ahead, evasively answering Donna's question with a gruff voice that hid his emotions. He wasn't supposed to ever see her again.

"You changed...again," Sarah Jane choked out, her inflection causing Donna's face to twist further in confusion.

"How did you contact me?" He asked, brushing off her observation. He refused to get into all the ways he’d changed since he’d last seen her; the face was the least of his problems. A flicker of hurt crossed Sarah Jane's face and he gripped the console until his hands ached.

"I used K-9 and Mister Smith,” she replied.

“Mister Smith?” he asked sharply, wondering who else suddenly had information about him.

“My computer,” she explained hurriedly. “Super computer. I didn't think I would reach you. I...I thought you were dead." She swallowed hard, then shook her head, the firm resolve he knew resurfacing in her eyes. "We can deal with that later. Doctor, it's the Daleks. They're taking people to their space ship."

“I know,” he said gruffly, thinking quickly. “But why’re they taking people? What for?”

They were killers, cold and cruel; it made no sense to take prisoners, not for them. Before Sarah Jane could respond however, the screen fuzzed out by some sort of interference.

"What happened?" Donna asked frantically. "Where did they go? What are Daleks?"

"You'll wish you'd never had to find out," he turned to look at her, his bright eyes somehow darkening with a storm brewing just beneath the surface. Donna shuddered and he turned his attention back to the screen. "Another signal's trying to come through."

"Your voice is different, and yet its arrogance is unchanged,” a sinister voice cut through the tense silence, the robotic tremors sending ice through the Doctor’s veins. “Welcome to my new Empire, Doctor.” A figure appeared in startling clarity on the screen. He sat in a metal chair, the bottom of a Dalek exterior, and was his only means of movement, controls lighting up the panel level with his waist. Silver glinted off of the contraption attached to his head and from the tapping of his fingers. A black jacket covered most of his dark, wrinkled flesh. The sunken quality of the skin over his empty eye sockets gave him a sickly, grotesque appearance, the bright blue orb of light pulsing in his forehead doing little to detract from the overall effect. Donna gasped, her hand flying to her throat. The Doctor clenched his jaw; it shouldn’t be possible. The figure moved closer to the screen and gave a sly smile, revealing yellow teeth. “It is only fitting that you should bear witness to the resurrection and the triumph of Davros, lord and creator of the Dalek race.”

“Doctor?” Donna asked, her voice trembling. “What...what is that?”

“Have you nothing to say?” Davros cocked his head to the side, his tone mocking and biting, ripping open old wounds the Doctor had spent years forcing closed.

“I saw your ship fly into the jaws of the Nightmare Child...you should be dead." The Doctor's voice was a mixture of rage and regret. "I tried to save you.”

“But it took one stronger than you.” Davros directed himself out of the way, allowing the object behind him to come into full focus. A single beam of bright light illuminated a Dalak with its hull blown wide open, the pale natural body of the creature writhing in the exposed air.

"Doctor?" Donna's voice was small and shaking. The Doctor glanced at her briefly, but not willing to explain just yet.

"Dalek Caan of the cult of Skaro," Davros said, gesturing to the creature behind him, and the Doctor started in surprise. He’d thought they were just a legend...figures, if the Daleks survived, it’d be the whole gambit, just to make his life that much more miserable.

"I flew into the wild and fire." Caan's tentacles twitched in the air, his voice high and full of an unhinged madness. "I danced and died a thousand times."

"Emergency Temporal Shift took him back into the Time War itself," Davros explained with pride.

"That's impossible," the Doctor slammed his fist on the console, shock morphing and melding into a slowly simmering rage. "The entire War is timelocked."

"And yet he succeeded," Davros taunted, swiveling back into full view of the screen. "Oh, it cost him his mind, but imagine. A single, simple Dalek succeeded where Emperors and Time Lords have failed. A testament, don't you think, to my remarkable creations?"

"You made a new race of Daleks," the Doctor replied in disgust. 

"I gave myself to them, quite literally. Each one grown from a cell of my own body." Davros opened his black tunic to reveal his mutilated form underneath. Bare ribs with scarce nerve endings over them allowed one to see to his internal organs inside. Donna gagged and looked away. "New Daleks."

The Doctor's stomach churned, bile leaping into his throat. Oh, he’d seen worse, but this was more than that. The Daleks had survived, risen anew...while his people still burned. He refused to let this stand; he’d destroy them if it was the last thing he ever did.

"True Daleks. I have my children, Doctor." Davros said, mocking him still, flaunting his victory. "What do you have, now?"

"Same thing after I destroyed you lot," he said darkly, then grinned. "Me." Throwing a lever, he cut off the connection and the TARDIS headed to Earth, sending Donna stumbling back into the jumpseat.

The TARDIS landed more gently this time. As soon as the time ship had touched down, the Doctor headed for the doors.

"Doctor!" Donna shouted as she followed after him. "What's going on? What are the Daleks?"

He barely registered her questions as he stormed out the doors and paused to look around. The street was empty, dim street lights casting harsh shadows on abandoned cars and buildings. A growl rumbled through his chest and he began to march forward. He was stopped by a firm grip on his upper arm.

"Do you mind?" he snapped as he whirled around and yanked his arm out of Donna's grasp.

"Want to tell me what the bloody hell is going on?" she shot back, her own fiery determination burning in her eyes.

"Donna," he began in a patronizing tone, "I'm busy. I don't have time to explain every little detail."

"So don't. Just tell me what's important. It's my planet, Doctor." She softened her voice, begging him to understand. "Let me help."

The Doctor sighed and rolled his eyes. "Alright. But if--" he stopped mid sentence, distracted by a movement down the street as he turned away from Donna. A blonde in a tight black dress that barely covered any of her long legs had seemingly appeared out of no where. She was stumbling down the road, her glossy black heels clicking loudly against the concrete. She held one hand to her head as it swiveled from side to side, her straight salon styled hair brushing her bare shoulders where there was a fashioned gap in the fabric.

“But what, Doctor?” Donna came to stand beside him and followed his gaze. “Hang on, is that a person?”

The Doctor took slow, heavy steps toward the girl as she looked in their direction, confused hazel eyes pulling him towards her like a magnet. Less disoriented she shuffled down the street. Moonlight glinted off a domed surface sailing through the rubble and empty cars. A Dalek, and it’s eye stalk was swinging in her direction.

Without thinking, he broke out into a run. Air rushed over his ears and his hearts beat out a steady rhythm in his chest, pumping in time to his boots thudding on the pavement. The next seconds played out in a rush, adrenaline skewing his time sense as he fought against the clock to save the innocent life before him. She had come to a stop, watching him warily, not noticing the Dalek, as he tore down the street to reach her. Donna cried out a warning from behind him.

He shoved the girl roughly to the side. She swore under her breath as she tripped, scraping a knee on the ground. He had a split second to right himself before the mechanical cry of 'exterminate' filled the air.

Searing pain wracked his body. His muscles seized up unnaturally from the shocks of electricity sparking along his nerves. He collapsed to the ground, gritting his teeth and stifling a moan. He wrapped his arms tightly around his torso and waited for the worst of the pain to subside.

"Oh my god, are you alright?" Small hands gripped his shoulders, and the blonde's face hovered above his.

"Bloody stupid apes," he grunted, his body going rigid as another wave of pain crashed over him. "Never watching where you're going."

"I was gonna say thanks," she quipped, shifting on her heels and managing to keep the small amount of fabric from riding too far up her thighs. "But I think you just insulted me."

The Doctor heard a crackle nearby and then metal shattering into pieces. They looked away from each other to see the Dalek flaming from its domed top, destroyed. The Doctor slammed his head back against the pavement, groaning as a new pain seeped into his veins. He needed to get off of the street before it was too late.

"Get away from me," he coughed out, attempting to push himself to his elbows. She stood up and ran her hands over her outfit, smoothing it back into place and muttering to herself. He caught a glimpse of bright red highlighting the underside of her heels before his attention was drawn to the footsteps rapidly approaching. The Doctor could barely make out a man with jet black hair and a long grey coat carrying a large gun. Something tugged at his time senses...something _wrong_. The Doctor squeezed his eyes shut, fire dancing in veins. He wouldn’t be able to hold off much longer.

“Nice dress,” the stranger said in a smooth American accent, pausing to openly admire the blonde. She flashed him a dazzling smile, flipping her hair over her shoulder. 

"You've got to be joking," the Doctor coughed out, rolling his eyes and attempting to rise to his feet.

"Sorry, Doc." The American chuckled and bent over to help the Doctor to his feet. The Doctor started at the casual nickname, reluctantly accepting the strange man's help. "Hope I wasn’t interrupting a date," he said with a wink.

The Doctor stared at him, then doubled over in pain. The man and the girl immediately latched on to his sides, keeping him upright.

"Come on, let's get him inside," the man said, slinging one of the Doctor's arms over his shoulder.

"But..." she gestured down to her feet. "I'm wearing heels."

"And you should know better by now," the other man teased, his smile exuding warmth and familiarity. His expression tightened as another spasm shot through the Doctor's body. "Come on. There's no time."

Grudgingly, the girl tucked herself into the Doctor's other side with one arm wrapped around his waist. Adjusting the Doctor's weight between them, they began to move.

"Doctor!" Donna came running up to the group, breathing heavily. "Are you alright? I thought I saw you get shot."

"You did," the Doctor ground out between clenched teeth. 

"We need to get him inside the TARDIS," the other man urged, keeping the small group inching forward.

The blonde furrowed her brow and open her mouth to speak, but she was cut off by another slew of strangled coughs erupting from the Doctor's lips. She moved her hand from it's loose position around his wrist to grip his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. An odd calm seeped into him from her fingers, pushing the pain back enough for him to see clearly and shuffle forward instead of being dragged along. It was a peculiar feeling, one that was completely at odds with the vibe the American was giving him. The man on his other side was making his skin crawl. He wanted to get way away from them both.

After an agonizing minute, the small group had all made it inside the TARDIS. Alarm bells were ringing in the Doctor's head, his muddled mind just now catching on to things the American had been saying. Things he shouldn't know. He would deal with that later, right now he needed everyone to clear off. The blonde walked shakily beside him, her head down as she focused on walking across the metal grating without tripping.

"What, what do we do?" Donna asked after closing the doors and following them up the ramp. He could hear the edge of panic in her voice. "There must be some medicine or something."

"Just step back," the American said as he helped prop the Doctor against the console. "Not that I can't sympathize with the desire to protect her, but maybe you should try and not give another life next time, hmm?" He clapped the Doctor on the shoulder then stepped around him and reached for the girl. "Rose, do as I say, and get back."

The blond whipped her head around and stepped away from the American's grasp. "How do you know my name?" Her hazel eyes grew steadily wider as she looked around for the first time. "What...what is this place?"

The other man froze, his hand still outstretched. "You mean...you don't..." He pointed towards the Doctor then rubbed his hand over his chin and looked at her closely. Some sort of understanding seemed to dawn on him and he shook his head. "Oh boy. Listen, there's no time to explain. He's dying and you need to step away from him."

"What do you mean?" Donna shouted, stepping forward. "He can't. He's supposed to save us."

"Get. Back," the Doctor grunted. Their bickering was wasting time and setting him even more on edge; what he needed more than anything was for them to shut up and get away. He supported his weight with one elbow still propped on the console, his hand beginning to glow a faint gold. His other arm was held across his abdomen and his legs shook with the effort of remaining upright.

"Ladies," the other man said, grabbing both of them by the arm. "Please, step back. It's starting and we can't be this close."

"What do you mean, what happens next?" Donna protested, looking over at the Doctor while letting the man lead her to a safe distance.

"Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?" the other woman shouted, pulling free of the man's grasp. She marched over to the Doctor, turning to stand protectively in front of him. "I don't know what you two are playing at, but this man saved my life. And he needs medical attention." She spun back to face him and placed a hand on his forehead. She frowned and dropped her hand. "You're burning up. We need to get you to a doctor."

The absurdity of her statement had him laughing weakly and shaking his head. Bright light burst behind his eyes and he pitched forward, biting the inside of his cheek, trying to halt the process just a moment longer.

"Easy mate," she said, pressing a hand to his chest and keeping him steady. A soothing ripple bounced through his body and he gasped. They locked eyes just as the American came up behind her, placing his hands gently on her shoulders.

"You can't save him, Rose. Not this time." The other man whispered gently in her ear, slowly pulling her away. "Not yet."

The moment her hand left his chest sharp pain shot through him, clawing and scratching through his entire body. He was vaguely aware of the American managing to gather the women at a safe distance and wishing him luck. He closed his eyes and let go, giving into the fire that danced along his nerves, burning away all that he used to be. A harsh cry ripped from his throat and he flung his arms out as his cells split and realigned, changing his entire appearance.

The light subsided, giving way to a brand new face. He took a sharp breath, inhaling air into fresh new lungs. Experimentally, he shook out his limbs, his brain noting the difference in movement. Before he could do much else, his eyes fell on the odd group huddled around each other.

The brash redhead who'd manage to surprise him and keep herself together through everything, now staring at him like she had just realized he was an alien. The man in the World War II army coat, with eyes that reminded him of the body he'd just lost, who knew more than he should and set his teeth on edge. Then there was the blonde...even with the fear clearly visible in her eyes, she was gorgeous. The Doctor couldn't help the way his eyes zeroed in, fully noticing the way her tiny black dress hugged her curves.

He took a deep breath, letting it out in a slow whoosh through his mouth, one word floating along and filling the tense silence.

"Blimey."


	4. Taken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to gallifreyslostson for the beta

The Doctor shook himself, the reality of the situation pulling him back to the dilemma at hand. The two women were staring at him with slack jawed expressions, the blonde’s hazel eyes more full of fear than Donna’s. The American looked slightly confused but didn’t appear surprised that he had effectively changed into an entirely new person. The Doctor couldn't shake the odd repulsion he felt towards the other man.

Time...he needed more time. Time to sort out the three people standing in his TARDIS. How did this happen? Well, he knew _how_ it had happened, it was rather simple really. They had all strolled right through the doors. He had started out the day with no intentions to ever have another traveling companion and had ended up with three strangers huddled together in the console room.

“Fantastic,” he muttered then pulled a face as his new accent reverberated in his ears. “Oh, no...that’s just...no. Not quite the same. There are worse things I could say I suppose. Still, I’ll have to find something else. Now, then,” he sniffed, “Where were we?”

“What did you do with him? Where’s the Doctor?” Donna asked, stepping forward as her eyes blazed.

“Donna, it’s me. Honest.” He tried to sound as convincing as possible, still testing out his new vocal cords. He really didn’t have time for her stubborn antics, or to explain regeneration in detail. He shrugged. “I just sort of...changed is all.”

“Oh, is that all?” she sneered. “You don’t even look like him! What kind of alien trick is this?”

“It really is him,” the dark haired man assured her, still standing with his arm around the blonde. “He may not look the same, but that’s the Doctor all right.”

The Doctor and Donna both snapped their attention to him. It was becoming rapidly clear that this man, whoever he was, knew far too much about him. The Doctor had no idea who he was or where he came from. He didn’t like it, not one bit. He opened his mouth but was interrupted before he had a chance to lash out.

“Will someone tell me what the bloody hell is going on?” the blonde shouted as she ripped away from the American’s side. She clenched her fists tightly at her sides and stared heatedly around the room.

There was a low mechanical drone, then the console room was plunged into darkness. Only a white glow from the time rotor and a few lights from beneath the grating was left to see by. They all looked up in unison, straining their ears for a hint of the cause. Things clicked together in the Doctor’s brain, the cause of his regeneration sending his irritation hurling in a different direction. Daleks.

“They've got us,” the Doctor said as he ran frantically around the console. “Power's gone. Some kind of chronon loop.” He paused at the display, still speaking out loud, although it was doubtful that any of them would understand. He scrubbed a hand down his face then wrinkled his nose. Right, new face. No, time to look now. It always came down to bloody time. The irony was not lost on him and did little to quench the rage bubbling beneath the surface.

The Tardis tilted with a violent jerk, sending the occupants stumbling and grabbing for the nearest object to keep on their feet. After a moment, it stabilized with only a background vibration rattling quietly up through the floor to let them know they were still in flight.. The Doctor walked around Donna, who still watched him apprehensively, and crossed over to where the other woman was standing, wobbling uncertainly in her heels. He approached her slowly, holding up both hands with palms open. She watched him warily but didn’t flinch or move away. He gave her a gentle smile, hoping it was reassuring but feeling uncertain since he had no idea what he looked like anymore. It felt good to smile with this face, different, but good.

“What was your name?” The Doctor asked softly, stopping just in front of her.

“R-rose. Rose Tyler.” She was hesitant at first, her eyes dropping to his hands before settling on his face.

“Rose Tyler,” the Doctor repeated, testing it out and liking the way his tongue curled around the syllables. His smile widened and he was delighted to see a small grin play across her features in return. “I’m the Doctor, by the way. That’s Donna, over there. We’re here to help.”

“What about me?” the American asked, sounding insulted.

“I’ll deal with you later,” the Doctor snapped, glancing over his shoulder for an instant. He turned back to Rose, gripping her upper arms and brushing his thumbs over her skin as an odd desire to comfort her swept over him. "I know this is a lot to take in, and I'm sure you have questions, but right now I need you to trust me."

"And why should I do that? People will be looking for me, you know. I’m not even sure how I got here." Her eyes left his face, wandering around the room in uncertainty. “I don’t even know where _here_ is.”

He eyed her for a moment. He had no idea where she had came from either. She had just seemingly appeared from nowhere, disoriented and stumbling in the middle of the street. He didn’t have time to figure that out now. And even if he did, he certainly didn’t have time to take her back. Not that he could anyway...not with the Daleks in control of his ship. He could answer one of her questions, hopefully that would be enough. "This is my ship, it's called the TARDIS. I'll answer any other questions later, assuming there is a later that is. But not right now.”

"What are you on about?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him suspiciously.

"I'm sorry, I don't have time to explain." He dropped his hands and ran one of them over his head. Oh, hair...lots of hair. Shoving both hands into the strands, he began sifting and yanking experimentally, mentally gauging length and trying to form a picture of its appearance in his mind. He focused on Rose, looking at her with a very serious expression. "Rose, this is very important. Am I...ginger?"

"What?" she asked, blinking in surprise.

"Oh, you bleeding idiot," Donna groaned from behind him.

"You don't have time to answer my questions,” Rose’s voice grew louder with each word and she somehow seemed to grow in height, making him involuntarily shrink in response, “but you want to know about your _hair_?"

"Yeah, look, you two can kiss and make up later," the American interrupted, earning him a matching pair of glares which he ignored. "Doctor, there's a massive Dalek ship at the centre of the planets. They're calling it the Crucible."

"Guess that's our destination," the Doctor muttered, finishing the other man’s thoughts. He narrowed his eyes at the other man. "Who are you? And how do you know my name?"

"Captain Jack Harkness," he replied with a lazy salute. The was a lingering sadness in his eyes, but he tried to cover it with a sly wink to Donna.

"Stop that," the Doctor snapped. "I'll have none of-of _that_ aboard my TARDIS."

"You're one to talk," Jack replied with a cheeky grin and a glance in Rose's direction. The Doctor's eyes widened and he clenched his jaw, his eyes blazing. Jack held up his hands in mock surrender, fighting a smirk. "Easy, Doc. Besides...I was just saying hello."

"I didn't mind," Donna piped up.

"Oh, not you too." The Doctor scrubbed a hand down his face in frustration.

"Relax, skinny boy,” Donna shot back, pausing a beat before turning serious. “What are daleks? You've mentioned them before. And what about those... _things_ from before? On the screen? Why won't you just tell me?"

"Donna," the Doctor hedged in a warning tone.

"Oh my god, is that the thing that shot you?" Donna's voice shook and her eyes were wide, a mixture of fear and realization playing over her face.

The scanner pinged and the Doctor darted back over to the monitor, ignoring her once again. "The Dalek Crucible," he growled. The TARDIS shook, the vibrations enough to feel but not enough for the occupants to stumble, then landed with a loud clang.

"Doctor, you will step forth or die," a mechanical voice demanded from beyond the TARDIS doors.

The Doctor’s frustration grew in a startling crescendo, his pulse racing and the muscle in his jaw twitching, only to have it crash down in an infuriating sea of futility. There was nothing he could do. As of this moment, their only option was surrender. He wasn’t giving up by any means...but he couldn’t accomplish anything from inside the TARDIS. He could only hope the others wouldn’t be too much of a liability, that the universe had found him favorable enough to grace him with people willing to be brave if the occasion called for it. He doubted it.

"We'll have to go out,” he sighed in resignation. “If we don't, they'll get in."

"Doctor, what are they?” Donna tried again, her tone growing desperate. “Don't you have some sort of I don't know, force field? Something?"

"Donna, for once, just listen to me. We have to go out there."

"I'm not going anywhere until it get some kind of an answer." Rose insisted.

He made an irritated noise in the back of his throat and ran a hand through his hair in frustration before giving them the simplest explanation possible, just enough information to get them all moving. "Daleks are a genetically engineered race, born to do nothing but hate and kill. They shouldn't even be here. All you need to know is that right now, that wooden door is just wood. I'm sorry," he said with a slight shake of his head, looking at each person in turn. Rose and Donna looked confused, yet slightly afraid. Jack...he couldn’t quite place the cold look on Jack’s face. Once more the Doctor felt put off by the man, half considering letting the Daleks deal with him.

"Isn't there anything you can do?" Donna pleaded.

"No,” the Doctor replied flatly.

"Alright," Donna sniffed.

"Donna, I’m sorry." He really was. He was stunned by how sorry he truly felt. She nodded mutely in return. He had told her he was the only one who could help save her planet, rescue her family. Instead he was marching them out to what could quite possibly be their deaths. An image of Adelaide Brooke flashed through his mind. No. No matter what it took, he would send the Daleks back to where they belonged. Straight back to hell.

"Surrender, Doctor, and face your Dalek masters." The mechanical voice called again, followed by a brief pause. "Crucible on maximum alert."

“Right then, all of us together.” With a brief nod at each of them, the Doctor led them down the ramp. His eyes hardened and anger seethed in his veins, each step taking him closer to the one race he truly despised. Donna and Rose followed behind him, with Jack tagging along at the rear. 

"Daleks reign supreme. All hail the Daleks!" A red Dalek bathed in white light and sitting on a raised platform let out a harsh cry, the chant immediately taken up from the daleks all around.

The Doctor looked around. The Crucible was cold and off putting, cables and sleek metal in every direction. Blue and orange lights cast an eerie glow around them. He looked up. There were hundreds, thousands of Daleks flying over head. How did this happen? He had destroyed them all, he was sure of it. A sharp stab of guilt pierced his chest. Had he sentenced his people and countless other innocents to death all for nothing?

"Behold, Doctor," the same red Dalek said. "Behold the might of the true Dalek race."

The Doctor opened his mouth to reply, words of rage ready to fly off his tongue. He spun around, the slam of doors and a loud click drawing his attention, derailing his thoughts. The TARDIS doors had shut, meaning...Jack had closed himself inside. The bloody coward. No wonder he didn't like the man. Donna’s gaze flitted between the Doctor and the TARDIS. Rose was frozen to the spot, her eyes wide and fearful.

"Jack!" the Doctor shouted. "You're no safer in there. Now get out of my ship."

"She won't let me, Doctor." Jack's voice was barely heard over his rattling of the ship's doors.

"Well, I didn't do anything." She? He didn’t recall referring to the TARDIS that way in front of them. He walked back to the doors and gave them a firm shove...nothing. He furrowed his brow in confusion.

"Doctor, let me out!" Jack cried again, banging his fist on the doors.

If Jack hadn't done anything, and he certainly hadn't shut the American in there on purpose, then there was one alternative. He rounded on the Daleks. "What did you do?!"

"This is not of Dalek origin," the red Dalek relayed in a calm mechanical tone.

"Stop it!” the Doctor snarled, his rage slipping free of the tightly contained coil. “Don't play games with me. Now open the door and let him out."

"This is Time Lord treachery."

"Me?” Oh no, they weren’t going to pin this on him. “The door just closed on its own."

"Nevertheless, the Tardis is a weapon and it will be destroyed." As soon as the Dalek completed its sentence, a trap door in the floor opened up and the TARDIS dropped out of sight. The Doctor ran to the edge of the hole, the shaft went on and on...down into who knew what.

"What are you doing? Bring it back!" The Doctor shouted, panic lacing the edges of his voice, stepping back towards the red Dalek with his fists clenched tightly at his sides. The TARDIS was the only thing he had left, he couldn't lose it, not now. "What have you done? Where's it going?"

"The Crucible has a heart of Zed-neutrino energy. The Tardis will be deposited into the core." The Dalek continued to relay messages in its infuriatingly expressionless tone.

"You can't,” he whispered in disbelief. “You've taken the defences down. It'll be torn apart!"

"But Jack's still in there!" Donna cried from somewhere behind him, full of alarm and outrage.

“The male and the TARDIS will perish together,” the Dalek replied. “Observe. The last child of Gallifrey is powerless."

A screen appeared, high up one of the many umbrellaed pillars. The Doctor rushed towards it, as if he would be able to do anything just by being near the image. The top of the TARDIS bobbed up and down in the bright yellow of the molten core, the rest of the time ship a vague outline beneath the scorching substance.

"I'm asking you one last time, don't do this.” The Doctor’s voice was low and threatening, dark storm clouds brewing in his eyes as he spun around. “Do this, and any mercy I might have had left for you, is gone."

"You are connected to the Tardis. Now feel it die."

"Total Tardis destruction in ten rels. Nine, eight, seven, six..."

The Doctor was vibrating with rage, a churning emotion he had no outlet for at. Even if he managed to find a way to wipe every last Dalek out of the sky, what then? Without the TARDIS, he was truly lost. A small hand slipped into his. With a start, he turned his head to find Rose standing beside him. He had forgot about her. He could still see the fear shining in her eyes, but there was a small glint of determination. It wasn't much, but it was enough for her to stand beside him.

"...Five, four, three, two, one."

The TARDIS vanished and the Doctor felt his hearts shatter. The last bit of home, the only remnant of his people...gone. Rose gave his hand a reassuring squeeze and brushed her thumb over his, a small movement that anchored him and somehow lessened the despair pressing in on him from all sides. It was odd though, the link between the ship was still there in his head. Greatly muted, but there nonetheless. Probably just his brain clinging on out of desperation.

"The Tardis has been destroyed. Now tell me, Doctor. What do you feel? Anger? Sorrow? Despair?" 

"Yeah,” he breathed, staring blankly at the screen yet gripping Rose’s hand tighter, so tight he was distantly afraid of breaking it. She didn’t flinch or pull away.

"Then if emotions are so important, surely we have enhanced you?"

"Oh, yes.” He dropped Rose’s hand, rounding on the red Dalek. “Because those aren't the only emotions I'm feeling. I’ve also got rage. And one you lot are intimately familiar with. Hate," he spat out the last word, his gaze burning. He knew words alone wouldn’t frighten a Dalek, but unleashing the darkness swirling within made him feel marginally better.

"You will be silent,” the Dalek ordered. “Escort them to the Vault."

"The Vault? What's in the Vault?" he asked, looking around the room.

"They are the playthings of Davros now,” the Dalek ignored his question. The other Daleks that had been placed throughout the room, rolled forward, urging them towards a corridor.

"What about Jack?" Donna hissed as she approached where he and Rose were standing.

"Forget about him,” the Doctor replied, his tone final and leaving no room for argument. If the TARDIS was gone...Jack was gone. “He's lost."

"The Doctor and his companions will cease talking," one of the Daleks ordered, poking him in the back with its exterminator ray.

"Come on," the Doctor growled, thrusting his hands in his trouser pockets and stalking down the hallway they were being herded towards. Rose walked beside him, her heels clicking loudly in to corridor, while Donna walked a few paces behind. Rose had her arms wrapped tightly around her torso and somewhere beneath the seething rage and his frantically working brain, still grasping for an escape, he noticed her shiver and rub her hands over her arms. Her eyes were fixed on the Dalek trundling along in front of them, her jaw set in determination. Without thinking, he slipped the heavy leather jacket off his decidedly leaner new frame and stepped slightly behind her to drape it over her shoulders. She whipped her head around to look at him, somewhat startled. He squeezed her shoulders gently then fell back into step beside her, keeping his face neutral. He heard Donna snort and mutter under her breath. He ignored her; from what he knew of the red head, it was probably best that way.

"Thanks," Rose whispered as she maneuvered her arms into the large coat.

He glanced back to her and had to do a double take, staring at her far longer than he should have been. Giving her his jacket had lead to an unintentional, and quick frankly unforeseeable, consequence. Distraction. He nodded and hurriedly turned his attention forward, burying the mental image of her deep in the recesses of his mind. This new body clearly had some new quirks that needed to be dealt with. 

He returned his attention to the matter at hand. There had to be something his big Time Lord brain was missing. Some little detail he was over looking. The Daleks couldn't win today, nevermind the fact that they shouldn't even be here in the first place. He had killed them all. Well, apparently not. Either way, there was a way out of this that continued to skirt the edges of his mind. Yes, time was in flux...but Bowie Base One was a fixed event in time. He had learned that the hard way. It was a fixed point in 2059...this was only 2009. Somewhere down on Earth, Adelaide Brooke was watching the sky and forming her dreams. She had to make it. He had to make it happen.

They finally emerged in a darkened chamber, a soft pulsing red light emanating from the walls, and the Daleks urged them towards the middle of the room. A mutilated figure rolled out of the shadows. Davros. A burning hatred flashed in the Doctor's mind and his first instinct was to rush forward and lash out with a primal violent outburst. He heard a strangled scream come from his right.

Rose was standing with her hands over her mouth, her eyes wide with horror as she looked upon the grotesque form of Davros. She began to take several slow steps backwards, shaking her head and squeezing her eyes closed in a futile attempt to erase the image from her mind. She was going to bolt. And if she did, the Doctor had no doubt the Daleks would not hesitate to shoot her on the spot.

"Donna?" the Doctor asked hurriedly, looking at her over his shoulder, his voice rising as he spoke her name.

"No...I'm-I'm fine." She gave him a weak smile and inclined her head towards the blonde.

"You need to be still,” the Doctor stated forcefully, trying to get Rose’s attention. “Stop walking."

"Oh my god...what _is_ that?" Her steps fumbled as she pointed at Davros, unable to tear her eyes away.

"Run and you will be exterminated,” the Dalek that had escorted them called out.

"Rose, stop!" the Doctor shouted.

"Activate the holding cells," Davros commanded.

The Doctor had his hand outstretched in an effort to grab hold of Rose, trying to keep her safe, when he was suddenly bathed in a bright light. A pulse of energy followed the light, just a split second behind, and descended around him.His mind raced ahead to the conclusion, but it was too late...he was mid stride and his momentum carried him forward. Searing heat sliced through skin and bone. He cried out in agony, a deep guttural sound that echoed disjointedly around the room. Pain burst behind his eyelids as the nerves in his wrist severed cleanly, his right hand dropping limply to the floor.

Mad, cackling laughter reached the Doctor’s ears after the blood pounding in them had subsided. Panting heavily and clutching his injured arm tightly to his chest, he looked up.

"Where is your arrogance now, Time Lord?" Davros sneered. His laughter faltered slightly as a dark look gleamed in the Doctor’s eyes.

"You know, Davros, for all your intellect, all your scheming…you never seem to fail to miscalculate somewhere along the line.” The Doctor took a deep breath and stood up straighter, smirking as Davros looked at him in confusion. “I’ve just regenerated, well within the allotted time window. This might be a record actually. I’ll have to--”

“Enough babbling, Doctor.”

“What? Oh, right...right, sorry. The point is...I can do this.” He waggled his eyebrows and held his hand up. The bright light shining down on him left no question as to what he was doing. He grinned widely as the still churning regeneration energy in his system allowed him to grow an entirely new hand. “Ah, there we are,” he said, wiggling his new fingers. "Good as new. Actually, this might be an improvement. Maybe, I should thank you," he finished in a mocking tone.

"Tricks will not save you," Davros snapped. "If you will notice, a new hand doesn't change the fact that I still have you and your...companions contained."

"Bit hard to miss," he muttered, arching an eyebrow and glancing to either side of him. Rose and Donna stood in their own holding chambers, each wearing equally shocked expressions. Both were, relatively speaking, safe and sound...for now. He turned back to Davros. "Still scared of me, then?"

"It is time we talked, Doctor. After so very long."


End file.
